Kim Ha-seong is truly coming back to life! '169 km/h explosive hit' the day after a walk-off hit... ATL wins 1-0, Yamamoto's 8K strong performance ends in defeat + Ohtani hitless silence [ATL-LAD Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

Breaking out of the swamp of a miserable .600s batting average with a walk-off hit, Kim Ha-seong (31, Atlanta Braves) showed signs of recovery by taking down LA Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto (28) just one day later.

On the 28th (Korea time), Kim Ha-seong started at shortstop and batted ninth in the home game against the Dodgers at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, during the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season. He recorded 1 hit in 3 at-bats, 2 strikeouts, and 1 stolen base, helping Atlanta secure a 1-0 victory.

His season batting average rose slightly from 0.078 to 0.088. Atlanta, riding a four-game winning streak, maintained its first-place position in the National League (NL) East Division with 79 wins and 55 losses. Meanwhile, the Dodgers, who lost all three games of their three-game series in Atlanta, fell into a three-game losing streak, finishing with 80 wins and 54 losses. They retained their first-place spot in the NL West Division.

Kim Ha-seong returned to the starting lineup for the first time in 20 days since his last start against the New York Yankees on the 8th, once again producing strong hits. In the bottom of the third inning with Atlanta leading 1-0, one out, and no runners on base, Kim hit a splitter thrown at 92.4 mph (approximately 148.7 km/h) that dropped low, even in an unfavorable count, connecting it for a single to left field. The exit velocity of the ball was a remarkable 105 mph (approximately 169 km/h). He then stole second base, recording his second stolen base of the season.

It has been 97 days since Kim Ha-seong recorded consecutive hits with multiple hits in two games. The day before (27th), in a game against the Dodgers, he hit a walk-off RBI single to end a miserable slump with a batting average of 0.066 and 27 consecutive hitless at-bats. With the score tied 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning, two outs, and runners on first and second base, he hit Tanner Scott's 97.2 mph (approximately 156.4 km/h) four-seam fastball for a walk-off RBI single to left field. The exit velocity was 103 mph (approximately 165.8 km/h).

It also held significance that the opponent was Yamamoto. Before the game, Yamamoto had recorded 12 wins and 7 losses with an ERA of 2.61 as the Dodgers' ace, and in his two previous appearances against Atlanta, he was dominant over 10 innings without allowing a run. Although Kim did not record another hit after that, following up on his 103 mph walk-off hit from the day before, he hit a top-tier pitcher's signature pitch with an exit velocity of 105 mph the next day, showing impressive quality in his hits for two consecutive days.

Today, Atlanta lined up with Drake Baldwin (catcher), Aj Albis (second baseman), Matt Olson (first baseman), Mauricio Dubon (left fielder), Michael Harris II (center fielder), Lane Thomas (designated hitter), Mike Yastrzemski (right fielder), Austin Riley (third baseman), and Kim Ha-seong (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Chris Sale.

The Dodgers countered with Shohei Ohtani (designated hitter), Tommy Edman (center fielder), Mookie Betts (shortstop), Freddie Freeman (first baseman), Thoutsaka Hernandez (left fielder), Miguel Rojas (second baseman), Alex Colome (right fielder), Enrique Hernandez (third baseman), and Ben Rottveit (catcher). The starting pitcher was Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

The outcome of the game was decided from the start. In the bottom of the first inning, leadoff hitter Baldwin hit Yamamoto's first pitch, a splitter at 89.2 mph, over the right-field wall. With an exit velocity of 106.2 mph (approximately 170.9 km/h) and a distance of 402 feet (approximately 122.5 meters), it was his 22nd home run of the season. In the end, this was the only run scored in the game that day.

Yamamoto was nearly perfect thereafter. Over 6⅓ innings, he allowed 4 hits, walked 1 batter, struck out 8 batters, and gave up 1 run, shutting down Atlanta's lineup and lowering his ERA to 2.56. However, with the offense failing to score a single run, he took the loss for the eighth time this season (12 wins).

The pitcher who was even stronger than Yamamoto was Sale. Sale recorded a complete game shutout against the Dodgers' lineup over 9 innings, allowing 5 hits, no walks, and striking out 11 batters without allowing a run, securing his 13th win of the season (9 losses). His ERA also dropped to 2.06. Ohtani was also held in check by Sale, going hitless in 4 at-bats with 2 strikeouts.

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*This content was translated by AI.